


'Tis Charity To Show  Part One

by ProvidenceMine



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hallucinations, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Orion, Racism, Solaris Event Horizon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:22:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26952097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProvidenceMine/pseuds/ProvidenceMine
Summary: Rand, Spock, Riley and their landing party are stranded on an abandoned Federation site.
Relationships: Janice Rand/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	'Tis Charity To Show  Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a multi chapter work, but I published my work as it appeared on my blog. If reading the story as long scroll is too difficult please drop me a line and I will try to rectify it as I don't find the chapter insertion to be too user friendly.

Title: ‘Tis Charity to Show  
Author: ProvidenceMine  
Fandom: Star Trek  
Series: TOS  
Parts: 1/8  
Rating: NC-17 for sexual content  
Codes: R/m, K, S, Sc, Riley

Summary: When Rand and the rest of the landing party beam down on a desert planet, they find that torment is the monster that is bent on destroying them.

Note: This story was inspired by Paramount Pictures’ Event Horizon and Stanislaw Lem’s book Solaris. The line “tis charity to show” is the very last line of Act IV Scene I of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, although the prose in which it’s taken from does not pertain to the happenings of this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, nor do I own its characters. I am merely borrowing them here for my fan fiction story. I will not, in any way, profit from this piece.

This story takes place a year after Your Enemy is Dead.

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter l  
Part 1

Yeoman Janice Rand stood in front of her dresser mirror, turning her head at various angles so she could inspect her French twist hairdo. Not being one to leave anything to chance, she leaned in, took a few steps back to stand at a distance, and cocked her head from side to side. Some people wouldn’t have the patience for such detail to self-inspection, but for Rand, it always paid off. Right on the left side of her nape peeked out a thin, coiling strand of platinum hair, throwing off an otherwise clean, elegant, upswept line. Catching the offending wisp, she grabbed a small amber bob pin from a tray on her dresser, hooked it in the metal loop, and tucked the little sucker in. 

“See what diligence does for a girl?” she thought to herself.

Rand smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she stood back again for one last little inspection. “There you go,” she said aloud, tugging at the sleeves of her uniform and smoothing the back of its skirt. Reaching for her recorder on the dresser, she harnessed it on her shoulder, grabbed her padd, and stepped through the automated doors of her quarters.

Rand trotted briskly down the corridors, which, for this early in the morning, were bustling with life as crewmembers hurried on to their assigned posts. She kept her eyes peeled straight ahead, heading for the nearest turbolift that would get her to work, initially unphased by the longing glances of the many crewmen who passed her by. But with the often clownish, yet good-natured cat calls tossed her way, Rand couldn’t help but smile to herself. “Men,” she thought with begrudging amusement.

The turbolift stood idle up ahead of Rand, its doors open and its interior unoccupied. “Thank God for convenience,” she chirped as she picked up the pace and skipped into the lift. “Empty too. Nice when you don’t feel like talking to anyone,” she thought. 

“Engineering,” she said aloud. On that prompting, the turbolift shut its doors and started towards its destination with its familiar hum reverberating under the yeoman’s feet.  
The day seemed to be starting off well, so far. Her hair was in place, and she was able to catch the first lift available without having to wait. All of this, and a turbolift all to herself. So far, so not too bad!

It was another day of detail runs for Rand, as she would have to check in to different departments to take inventory on what was needed and how things were running. She tapped on her padd with her pen and sighed. “Come on, come on,” she urged softly. Rand couldn’t get to her destination fast enough. She would start her detail runs in the dilitheum crystal chamber, located in the lower levels of engineering. “Will Khobran be there?” she mused to herself. She felt her smile become even wider while images of her Orion lover enticed her; his smile, his eyes, his shoulders, the way he looked at her, spoke to her, his voice. A full, whole week had passed since they’d been able to spend any good length of time together, their conflicting schedules like passing ships, unable to steer themselves towards each other. It’s been a year since Rand and Khobran’s relationship began, and she still couldn’t believe just how lucky she was to have found him—this magnificent gem of a man! 

The zip of the turbolift’s doors startled Rand, and after taking a minute to gather her bearings, she stepped out onto the engineering level and headed to the direction of the dilitheum crystal chamber. This particular walk was always a long one, and usually one which she dreaded. She did take the opportunity to see, if by any chance, she’d spot Khobran working around there. Engineering was so vast, it wasn’t unusual to have to resort to using the intercom to reach someone down there. “Well, I know he’s somewhere in these lower depths,” Rand thought to herself hopefully. 

“Aye, if it isn’t Righteous Rand,” boomed a familiar, jovial voice from behind her.

Rand smiled, and turned on her heels to see Chief Engineering Officer Montgomery Scott standing a small distance away, his arms crossed over his chest, smiling back at her.

“Hey, Scotty!” she called back to him.

“I see you’re not up on the bridge, so that must mean that you’re doing checklists on this fine morning,” said Scotty, taking a few steps towards Rand.

“Yup. I’m headed for the dilitheum crystal chamber right now for my first stop,” she said.  
“Work, work, and more work to be done. Right?”

“Well, if this isn’t going to be your lucky day,” teased Scotty.

Rand shrugged her shoulders, initially not comprehending. Then, her eyes grew wide and her smile grew even wider when she put two and two together.

“Khobran’s in there?!” 

“As sure as we’re standing across from each other! But, if you want to see him, you’ll have to take the trek over there!” Scotty gestured broadly in the direction where Rand was headed.

Rand took a breath and turned her attention to the doors of the chamber, situated at a healthy distance which she’d have to “trek,” as Scotty put it. Somehow, the long walk didn’t seem too daunting anymore.

“Thank you, Scotty,” said Rand, turning and starting on her path.

“Anytime, Righteous!” 

Oh, was she looking forward to seeing Khobran in the privacy of those chambers. They’d only have a few minutes together, but she’d make sure they’d make them count, as she felt her hips sway unconsciously to the music of her heat.

************************* 

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter I  
Part 2

The dilitheum crystal chamber was long, narrow, and pristine white, its passageway arched at the ceiling so that it resembled the corridors of old cathedrals. The crystals were encased behind glass panels and situated atop display stands. The place shimmered with the understated glow of dilitheum power, a testament to why the Enterprise needed them.

Rand placed a hand over her eyes, like a visor, so that they could adjust to the emanations coursing through the chambers. As her vision eased into the light, Rand saw a tall, muscular emerald figure standing just a few feet in front of her. Khobran was immersed in his work, his left-hand scribbling away on his padd while he glanced periodically at the crystals in front of him. Rand stood where she was, hugging her own padd to her breasts while her eyes swept over every inch of him. She stood like this for awhile, not saying a word, wondering to herself when he’d finally look up from his note-taking to see her.

“Are you taking their orders, or what?” Rand quipped. 

Khobran looked up from his padd and gave Rand one of his big, wicked grins. “Hey, Platinum! How long have you been standing there?”  
“I just got here, lover.”

“Talk about seeing a light at the end of this tunnel!”

“In this tunnel?” cooed Rand. “I didn’t think it could get any more lit than this.”

“Well, you’ve managed to do just that, babe!”

“You always know the right thing to say.”

The lovers hurried to each other and embraced, kissing with abandon, their padds awkwardly slung over each other’s shoulder. Khobran accented his kisses with gentle nips at Rand’s lower lip.

“Oh, Khobran, I really have to get these stupid checklists done,” sighed Rand, rubbing her lips against his.

“Are you telling me that you actually want to stop this unprofessional conduct?” They both chuckled and kissed again.

“I wish we could play like this all day, lover, but I…really…need…to...get…this…list…done.”  
As she spoke, Rand traced her slender finger along Khobran’s forehead, then down the slope of his nose, making a detour around his full lips. 

“It’s your fault, you know,” Khobran whispered. He pressed Rand towards him by her upper back so that her breasts flattened against the lower portion of his chest. “We don’t spend much time together for what seems like eternity, and you come waltzing in here looking like a knockout with your hair up like that! All you need are a pair of wired-rimmed glasses and you’d look like a naughty librarian ready for a hot fuck under the stacks.” As if to emphasize the point, Khobran reached down with his other hand and gave her rump a firm, lingering squeeze.

“Now, stop that, you big goofball,” chided Rand, playfully smacking her boyfriend on his chest. “You, my dear, are not focusing on the task at hand! All you want to do is think of ways to debauch me in front of all these watchful crystals.”

“Ah, but don’t you want to give them something to talk about?”

“And be the subject of gossip in these hallowed walls?”

“But it might be fun!”

“Fun reserved for another time, lover.”

Khobran reluctantly released his girlfriend, but he stood very close behind her, brushing his chin against her neatly wrapped hair and tracing his fingers along the nape of her neck.

“Khobran, you idiot! You’ll mess up my hair,” Rand said feigning annoyance. She strategically held her padd and pen in front of her. “We really need to start this now,” she said, leaning and pressing into Khobran. 

“You realize it’s been almost a week since I had those amazing breasts of yours in my mouth. God, I crave the feel of your hard nipples under my tongue,” he whispered hoarsely in her ear.

“Khobran, pleeeease…” Rand nuzzled her cheek against Khobran’s while he reached under her breasts and gave them a long, hard squeeze. She giggled, hitting Khobran’s hands with her pen. “You’re being a very naughty boy, Khobran! I need to take inventory on the amount of dilithium crystals…”

“Later,” said Khobran, easing his tongue in Rand’s ear.

“I n-need to check if there are any conductors that have to be replaced…”

“That can wait,” said Khobran, cupping her breasts and kneading them. “Why don’t you just relax.” He scooped one of his large hands under the collar of Rand’s uniform, and inside her bra. His fingers and palm found her full, taunt globe and gripped it triumphantly. Rand’s lips parted, a moan escaping from her throat as her tongue ran along the bottom of her upper teeth. Khobran’s fingers closed around her nipple and pulled at it, twisting it, coaxing it alive under his touch. 

“Oh, Janice, you have no idea how many times I think about ravishing you by various and creative means! Our schedules have been absolute sticks up our asses as of late!”

Stick up my ass! I like that metaphor,” gasped Rand, her padd and pen dropping to the floor.

“Oh, Khobran! Yes, yeeeess God!” She moaned while she scooped her hands under his arms and found his biceps. Rand held them, gripping them as her lover continued his erotic handiwork.

“I wish I could suck this off,” Khobran said heatedly, rubbing her hardened sensitized nipple between his thick thumb and forefinger.

“Sucking, huh? How about me sucking you off, and then you stick that big hearty thing of yours inside me! That’s what I wish we could do!”

“Mmm, maybe we can make a compromise here.” Khobran took the middle finger of his other hand and traced it along her lips. Rand responded by reaching her tongue out and wrapping it around his finger, urging it into her mouth where she sucked it greedily. Khobran pumped his finger slowly, in and out of his lover’s mouth before pulling it out completely and then reaching down between the fabric of her regulation pants, her lace panties, and hose. Rand caught her breath and spread her long legs, the lips between them already wet from anticipation and hunger for his probing.

“Hello, Khobran? Are you in there? I’ll need help in the chamber pretty soon! I’ll be coming in shortly!” The voice of Lt.Zmed, the crystal specialist. Khobran and Rand were instantly snapped back to the reality of their situation, the heat of the moment dissipated. Khobran quickly withdrew his finger from Rand and moved away from her, picking up his padd from the floor where he had tossed it earlier in the throes of lust.

Rand followed suit by straightening herself up and reaching out for her own discarded padd. Amist all the hair patting and throat clearing, the lovers would give each other occasional glances, struggling valiantly through mischievous, barely restrained laughter. They were able to get themselves together, though, so that by the time a suspicious Scotty and a clueless Lt. Zmed finally entered the area, Khobran had his padd and pen in his hand, rattling off figures to Rand while she wrote hastily onto her own padd. 

“Good Morning, everyone! How are things going?” chirped Zmed.

“Oh, fine, Zmed! I’m just giving Janice the inventory. I’ll be right with you, okay?”

“I’ll wait, it’s not a problem.”

Khobran and Rand were able to go through the inventory quickly, since nothing had really changed much since the last time inventory was taken in the chambers.

“Have everything you need, Janice?”

“Yeah, got it. Thanks. Walk me out?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be right back, guys!” 

Rand waved to Scotty and Zmed while Khobran walked behind her, placing his hand on the small of her back. When the two of them reached the door, Khobran slid his hand around Rand’s waist, gathering her close to him.

“So, when am I going to see you again, and I mean for an hour at least. This fifteen minutes here and thirty minutes there simply isn’t cutting it for me,” he whispers, brushing his lips behind Rand’s ear.

“Well, I think that the good captain is giving me an early dismissal at 1700 hours for the rest of the day, as a reward for that double shift I had to do with that insufferable Tellerite ambassador yesterday. Of course, I don’t know why Captain Kirk couldn’t give me a full day off, but I’m not complaining, believe me,” said Rand. She swirled around and leaned into Khobran, pressing herself against his chest, enjoying its hardness. She looked up at him and playfully batted her eyes.

On hearing this long awaited and welcoming news, Khobran broke into an elated smile. “Really, you’re kidding! I’m off at around 1800 hours for the rest of the night myself! Where do you want to meet?”

“My quarters, my bed.”

“Your wish is my command.”

They kissed tenderly for awhile before releasing each other.

“Oh, and darling?”

“Yes, lover?”

“You might want to fix your hair. Looks like it’s been through a bit.”

Rand gave Khobran a little smirk. “Thanks for the tip.”

“No problem,” he quipped, swatting Rand on her miniskirted backside as she existed the chamber.  
***************************

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter I  
Part 3

It was early afternoon, which meant lunch break for many crewmembers on the Enterprise. Rand sprinted into her quarters, tossed her padd on her bed and hastily removed her recorder, tossing that alongside her padd. She went over to her dresser mirror and inspected her hair. Strands of platinum poked out haphazardly around her elegant twist in a discordant crown. “Ooh, Khobran you naughty naughty boy,” she said aloud, as she turned her head, unable to find a salvageable corner. She’d clearly have to remove every pin from her head and start all over again. Her hair wasn’t the only thing that would need fixing. The wetness between her legs was surely a reminder that she’d need to change into a fresh clean pair of panties, hose, and regulation pants. The creaminess of her lips had been a daunting distraction for her throughout her checklist runs. During the rush of the day, Rand had tried to clean herself during a bathroom run but found it fruitless as wad after twisted wad of tissue paper had failed to stem the moistness. It was quite difficult for her to stay focused on inventory and shortages when she had wanted nothing else but to be bent over and exposed while Khobran held her down and hotly penetrated and probed her slickness, but at least Rand would be able to fix this little problem now. Rand pulled off her boots, tossed them in a corner by the bathroom door, and rushed in. She turned on the water in the sink, letting it run while she removed and discarded her pants, panties and hose. Throwing these in the hamper by the corner, she reached over and opened the cabinet where she kept all of her handmade organic soaps, picked out a bottle of chamomile-infused feminine wash and placed it on the sink counter, plucked a hemp wash cloth from the rack by the cabinet, and shut the bathroom door behind her.  
************************

Rand walked briskly over to her dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer, retrieving a fresh clean pair of pink lace thong panties, studied them and recalled the time when she performed a strip tease for Khobran wearing this very same pair. She smiled to herself but thought better of it and tossed the panties back in the drawer, trading them in for a more utilitarian pair of high waisted, modestly cut, cotton white underpants. Rand put these on, along with a fresh pair of sheer black hose, and clean red overpants. Walking over to the corner where her boots lay in a heap, she picked these up and slipped them on. Now that she was done with dressing, she could start on her cartoonishly messy hair. She took another walk over to the dresser, grabbed her comb and brush and then proceeded to pull out the pins from her somewhat tangled hair.

“Beep, beep.”

“The computer. Wonder if it’s Nyota calling me for a lunch date.” 

Rand headed over to her desk, turned on the computer, and sat down in front of it. A woman appeared on the screen, her thick red hair cut in a bob that brushed to her chin, framing her high cheekbones and arched coppery brows. She looked like a slightly altered version of Rand herself, with fuller features and bright green eyes.

“Janice?”

“Hey, Mom! This is a surprise. What are you doing calling me all the way from New Jersey?”

There was a slight pause as her mother brought her face closer to the screen. “You didn’t go to work with your hair like that, did you?” 

“Ma, be real! I was just about to fix my hair when you called me, so I didn’t get around to it yet, thanks to you.”

“You looked like you fell asleep without undoing your hair, but I know that can’t be it. How’d it get that way?”

Janice shook her head, waving her hand in front of her face. “You don’t want to know, Ma.”

“What do you mean?”

Rand gave her mother a look. “Never mind.” She shifted in her chair and started to pull all the pins from her hair. “So, how’ve you been since the last time we talked?” she asked.

“I don’t know why you don’t just cut it all off, like me and Stephanie. It makes life so much easier, believe me!”

When Rand pulled out the last of the pin, she shook out her long flaxen hair, allowing it to tumble down her back. “I frankly never understood why you ever cut yours. I remember seeing that picture of you back in your college days with your long fiery red hair cascading down to your waist, wearing that tight black turtleneck. You were a real sweater girl. Hey, do you still have that pentacle necklace?”

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know,” Rand shrugged. “Are we just going to talk about hair all day?”

“Well, I don’t know about hair, but your term ‘sweater girl’ fits very nicely with the reason why I’m calling today,” said Mrs. Rand with a playful smirk.

“What it that supposed to mean?”

“Guess who came to visit us yesterday?”

“Who, Aunt Trish?”

No! Why on Earth would I treat this as a mystery if it was her?”

“Well, how the hell am I supposed to know? Can you just tell me? I hate this guessing game stuff--you know that!”

Mrs. Rand took a beat before divulging her answer. “Khobran’s parents,” she said.

Rand was both surprised and wary. “Khobran’s parents! They came to see you? Really?”

“I know that you’ve been seeing Khobran for about a year and never told anyone back here; not me, not your father, not Stephanie, and not Aunt Trish. No one. It’s because he’s Orion, isn’t it. You didn’t think we’d approve.”

Rand jerked her head back, placing her hand on her chest in a defensive manner. “Ma! That had nothing to do with it! It’s just that I really want this relationship to work, and I didn’t want to jinx anything. You remember all those jerks I’ve been with…”

“All those jerks? You’ve only been with four men since you started dating in high school. Khobran makes five, Janice. Only five…”

“And I want number five to work, Mom! I wanted to see how things panned out before telling anyone back home.”

“You know we don’t care that he’s Orion, right?”

“Ma, I told you that had nothing to do with it!”

“Well, now, don’t get touchy. I just asked you that to be sure. It wouldn’t be fair to him, you know. It was pretty awkward when I didn’t know who Khobran was when the mother introduced herself at my place of work, Janice. I didn’t know who she was, and I was never told to expect her! It’s not like Orions are commonplace in Montclair. She seemed a little hurt, frankly. Well, initially anyway.” 

Rand sighed, feeling a leaden weight of guilt on her chest. She had thought at the time that she was making the right decision, about taking a wait and see approach to her relationship with Khobran, but she knew now that she’d been wrong. Rand knew she would have to right this, and talk to Khobran’s parents herself. 

“She met you at the campus library? How did she know to go there?”

“I guess you must have told her where I worked,” Mrs. Rand said simply.

“Oh, I guess. Go on. I’m sorry.”

“Well, Tara came over to the university library and introduced herself. She told me that she and her husband had met you along with their children when they had seeked asylum at Adrius IV. Come to think of it, she did recall that you mentioned where me and your father worked. She had also said that they were being sponsored by a Dr. Grimaldi of Princeton University, the same man who had sponsored their children when they first came to Earth. Funny, huh? Orions in New Jersey! That means that Khobran and Hydra were here when you were in college, isn’t that something?” 

Rand smiled brightly, wondering how it would have been like to have met Khobran and Hydra back then. “Yeah, that is something,” Rand sighed.

Mrs. Rand continued. “Well, we went over to your father’s office and he met Tara. Her husband Rhollo came over later after he’d been exploring the campus grounds. After that we got your sister and her brood and went to that sweet little Ethiopian restaurant!”

“Bet they loved that place!”

“They sure did! Oh, and they were crazy about your nieces, and loved the fact that they were biracial! They even mused about how your’s and Khobran’s would look like!”

“Oh my God!” said Rand, blushing but wondering herself.

“I have to say, Janice, they’re an impressive family. Talk about being achievers, and survivors! Their children being fifteen years old wunderkinds, and homeschooled! Amazing people, Janice. They’re the kind of people you mention soon after you meet them.”

Mrs. Rand raised her brows, tilting her head to the side and giving her daughter a look of gentle scolding.

“Yeah, I know,” Rand sighed.

“They’re thinking about moving here, you know.”

“What do you mean, moving here?”

“What do you think? They’re thinking about moving to Montclair!”

“Montclair, seriously?!” Rand was jubilant, throwing her arms up in the air and laughing. “Wait ‘till I tell Khobran!”

“They’d love it,especially since the mother is an artisan. She could sell her wares here. You know the father is an inventor and engineer. Had his own business until that Syndicate…but, I’m sure you know all that.”

Rand nodded in the affirmative. “Yes, I do.”

Mrs. Rand looked at her daughter thoughtfully for a long time before she spoke again. “You know, Janice, for Khobran to want you with him when his parents landed on that space station seeking asylum is pretty special. He sounds special, and he sounds like he loves you very much.” 

There was a catch in Rand’s throat as she nodded silently.

“I’ll bet he’s very attractive,” said Mrs. Rand coyly.

“Oh, yes he is,” Rand said dreamily.

“Not surprising, since his parents have got to be two of the best looking beings I’ve ever seen in my life! You should have seen the stares Tara got in the campus library!”

“You don’t get Orions on Earth, much less Montclair,” Rand quipped.

“Janice, don’t even bother to downplay here. That woman is remarkable by Deltan standards! And Rhollo! My God! I’ve never seen a man who filled out a pair of slacks like that in my life! Apparently, neither did all those young woman who followed him around campus!”

“Same thing with Khobran and the crewwomen here! You’d think they’ve never seen an ass before!” 

The two women laughed good naturedly.

“I hope you’re using protection. You don’t want to get preg…”

“Ma! Come on!”

“Just want to be sure.”

“Well, be sure! Me and Khobran are not planning on a family anytime soon, okay?”

“Bet he’s a firestorm in the sac, huh?”

“Ma!” 

There was a short moment of giddy silence between them, before Rand and her mother broke into robust guffaws.

“Oh, Janice! Let me let you go. I know you have a lot to do. I’d hold on to Khobran, judging from his parents. I’m very glad I we met! I really think you need to talk to his parents to clear things up with them,” said Mrs. Rand, ending on a more serious note.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll do that asap. I’m so glad you met them, Mom. Let’s talk some more about them soon, okay? I’d love to hear what Dad thought,” said Rand, smiling radiantly.

“Of course! Well, I’m signing off now, hon. Be good, and get that hair cut!” chided Mrs. Rand playfully.

Rand smirked and waved her hand dismissively. “Whatever, Ma! See ya.”

“Bye.”

Rand reached over and turned off the switch to the computer, got up from the swivel chair at her desk, and headed for the dresser. Placing her hair pins in the bowl, she took her brush and swept through her hair. Rand smiled as she recalled the conversations with her mother.  
Everyone clearly got along famously, the two families. In her past relationships, there had always been a chink in the dynamics concerning the family of anyone she’d been involved with. Sometimes she didn’t get along with one of the boyfriend’s parents, or one of his siblings. In her last relationship with a Starfleet instructor, she never even met his family. Though, considering that such relationships were off limits at the Academy, that was understandable! Her intuition vibrated with a quiet excitement that told her all was good for this relationship. She would be sure to make contact with her family, so that they could finally meet Khobran, via computer screen, for themselves. Perhaps she could contact Hydra and make it a three-way conference call. She was glad that the relationship was out in the open now, especially since it’s proven to be the best relationship-more than she’s hoped for, in fact! Rand pictured Khobran’s parents moving to Montclair and becoming neighbors with her family, and the thought of that tickled her. 

“Montclair could use some Orion residents,” she thought to herself. 

When she finished brushing through her hair, Rand did it up in a French twist again, humming along while she shaped, twisted, and pinned her head in place. Patting every inch of her do, Rand looked in the mirror, turned her head for inspection, and gave herself the thumbs up when the chime to her door summoned her. Wondering who in the hell it could be, Rand walked over to the door and pressed its side button. When the door zipped open, Rand’s mood brightened tenfold when she saw Khobran standing silently in the hallway.

“Khobran!” she exclaimed, rushing up to him. Rand reached out and threw her arms around his neck and planted a long hot kiss on his lips, which he returned tepidly. Rand, in her enthusiasm, didn’t notice. She also seemed oblivious to the fact that Khobran never wrapped his arms around her.

“God, I can’t believe you’re here! Talk about kismet! Wait ‘till I tell you what went on with me! But you’ll have to be gentle though, after that fierce pat-down you gave me in the diliteum crystal chamber. It’s a lot of hair to pin up again for a third time,” she said, patting her hair and batting her lashes. Rand looked up at her boyfriend and noticed the grim expression etched in his face. 

“Is anything wrong? Did something happen?”

Khobran broke free of Rand’s embrace and stepped inside her quarters, where he turned to face her. Rand stepped into her quarters like she was walking on shards of glass. She looked warily at Khobran. She had an inkling of what might be troubling him, and she felt her stomach fist up. Oh, shit! He knows. Khobran stood in his place, just looking at Rand, not saying anything. His silence was palpable, and it made Rand edgy. But what made Rand really edgy was that she was the cause of the misunderstanding to come. Khobran placed his hands on his hips and lowered his head. When he finally raised his head up again his eyes were brimming with tears. Rand hated herself at that moment. She felt her own eyes start to sting and become misty.

“I just got off the computer with my parents, and they told me that they finally met your family in Montclair, but that you never told them about our relationship. They didn’t even know I existed, that my family existed.” Khobran’s voice was soft with hurt, almost trembling. Rand raised her hands to her face and laced her fingers together, pressing her palms together, almost like a prayer position. She took a very deep breath so that her own voice wouldn’t shake.

“Khobran, I know. Let me explain…”

“Explain what, Janice?” he asked in the same pained voice, the same soft pitch. “My mother said she was surprised when she found out the Rands knew nothing about me, my parents, my sister, my brother…”

Rand felt the panic build inside her as she tried to explain her side of the story. At first, she had a hard time stringing the words together, as Khobran stood there looking at her from his great height, his brows cocked in judgment.

“Look,” Rand began. “You know the lousy luck I’ve had with guys. All four men from high school to Starfleet Academy ended badly! I told you that…”

“Janice…”

“I wanted to wait and see how this relationship went before I told my family about us! I-I didn’t want to jinx anything, you know? I know it sounds silly…”

“Silly? It sounds downright suspicious, Janice,” he said, his voice now steely and low, his vivid violet eyes unwavering as they bore right into her. Rand could feel the crushing weight of his eyes on her, and they made her feel exposed, like she was lying spread eagled under the cold aim of a microscopic lens. She wanted to run away, but she knew that wasn’t an option. She thought desperately about what she could do to fix the mess that she’d made. Then, Rand came up with an idea. She looked at Khobran, feigning nonchalance, and simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Look, Khobran. I really don’t see the big deal. My mother had a wonderful time with your parents. My father, sister, her husband and their two daughters were all there at the outing. Everyone got along really well, so I don’t know why not telling my family about you initially is such a big deal. Your parents are…”

“Oh, I’ll tell you why it’s such a big deal, Janice! I’ll tell you why it’s an immense deal…”

“You’re making a mountain out of an ant hill, Khobran,” she said in blithe disregard, though her insides wanted to scream. “I really don’t understand this drama…”

“The drama is you had a whole fucking year,” said Khobran, leaning into Rand, his voice now rising. “How long are you going to use your past relationships as an excuse, Janice?”

Rand’s head jerked back when she heard the word ‘excuse.” “It’s not an excuse, Khobran!” 

“Oh, no? When I introduced you to my parents, I was never once concerned about the fact that you were human! You were the woman that I chose as a partner, you were the woman I cared about and desired! Our different racial backgrounds were immaterial!”

Rand looked at Khobran for a full withering minute, shaking her head, her eyes wide and her tears coming to the fore. She took her time, finding the voice that seemed to have escaped her at that moment.

“Are you trying to say, that I didn’t tell my family about you because you think that I’m the one who has a problem with you being Orion, as opposed to my family?!” Her voice was a horse whisper.

Khobran leaned in even closer until he was nose to nose with Rand.

“Jackpot,” he said quietly.

The tears tumbled down to her cheeks, her lips trembling. Rand turned away from her lover and pressed her hands against her chest, as if to steady herself. She closed her eyes, not believing what she’d just heard, what he was accusing her of. She wanted to push Khobran, to throw something at him as she stood there trembling with rage, shock, and heartbreak.

“Restrain yourself, Janice,” she thought to herself. “You don’t want to hit this man! You don’t want to hit this man!” Then, she thought better of it. “What the hell,” she thought smugly. Rand spun on her heels suddenly and slapped Khobran clean across his face with her open palm. While Khobran barely moved physically from the impact, the expression on his face clearly showed that he was stunned. 

Rand was crying now. “How dare you! How dare you say that to me! How dare you even think that, you bastard!”

The surprise that was on Khobran’s face was replaced by its former steeliness. “The truth hurts, right?”

“There’s no truth to what you’re saying and you know that!” she screamed. “You being an Orion was never an issue with me! It sure seems to be an issue with you, though!”

Khobaran crossed his arms, saying nothing. He simply looked at her while Rand continued to fight for their relationship.

“What about all the times we’ve been together, don’t they mean anything to you?! Doesn’t our time together say anything about our relationship?!”

“Yeah, it says that an Orion is no problem in the bedroom, but poses a real problem when it comes time to tell Mommy and Daddy that you’re fucking one,” he sneered.

Rand reached out and pulled Khobran by his shirt and tried to shake him, as if doing so would make the words sink in. “For your information, my mother had no problem with you being Orion! As a matter of fact, she was concerned about me not telling her about you because of what she thought might have been prejudice on my part, of which I assured her it was not…”

“Perceptive mother, at least.”

“Khobran, are we really doing this? Really?” Rand asked, emotionally exhausted.

The two of them looked at one another for a long tense moment before Khobran gave Rand a hopeless, sad look. “Well, so much for the liberals in Montclair.” Then, without another word, he turned away from Rand and walked out the door to her quarters.

“Khobran!”

Rand started after him, reaching out for him, trying to grab at any part of his body, an arm, the hem of his shirt, but he was too fast for her, and it was also at this inopportune moment when Rand heard something behind her.

“Beep, beep.”

She turned sharply towards the direction of the noise and glared at the computer, her eyes blinded by her tears.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Why now?!” she yelled out loud at the little red light blinking dispassionately on the computer console. 

In a panic, she turned to the door, and then back to the computer, initially torn between the two. It could be the captain, but then, it could be Uhura, or Sulu. She would be really pissed if it was anyone in the latter category, but if it was the captain or anyone else of high rank, then of course her duty would have to come before her heart. Shaken and annoyed, Rand wiped the tears from her face and eyes with her fingers as she cursed under her breath. Defeated, she headed for her desk, turned on the computer, and settled in front of the screen while it lit up in front of her. Duty was calling, in the image of Captain Kirk.

“Yeoman Rand,” he said, peering closely into the screen. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“Nothing that’s any of your damn business,” she thought bitterly. But when she spoke to the captain, however, she said simply: “No, Captain. Busy day.” Rand gave Kirk a weak smile, trying to keep a good front.

“You look preoccupied and tired, Janice.”

“I’m fine, Captain. What is this call about?”

The Captain nodded. “You’ve been selected to join a search and rescue landing party on the planet Tijus. You are to report to the conference room immediately. Yeoman Means will take over your checklist duties.”

“Yes, sir.”

“See you soon.”

Kirk’s image went black, ending the correspondence as Rand let out a long deep breath. She turned off the computer and got up from her chair. She murmured Khobran’s name despondently and reached for her padd and recorder that lay tossed on her bed. Rand strapped the recorder over her shoulder, gathered her padd, looked around her quarters for a last quick sweep, and left. 

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter II  
Part 1

Rand hurried down the ship’s corridors, turning her head on either side of her, watching for him, straining to see if she’d find him among the passing bodies walking by. She wanted another chance to talk to him, to make him understand that he had jumped to conclusions about their relationship. Rand was on edge, preoccupied, her nerves raw and prickly as she looked up and down the corridors, chanting please please please Khobran let me find you! Before she knew it she was in front of the double doors to the conference room, effectively putting her fruitless search for Khobran to an end. Rand sighed heavily and allowed herself one last look around the halls. No dice. 

She finally gave up, entering the conference room, where she found the rest of the landing party hanging out, waiting for word on what their mission would be. No one was sitting down at the conference table; some crewmembers were leaning on the table’s edge, others simply stood around looking at their feet, the walls, not really looking at one another. The landing party seemed preoccupied, as if being called for this mission had interrupted something big going on in their lives. 

“Join the club,” Rand thought to herself.

She quietly walked over to the wall and leaned against it, surveying the people who’d accompany her on the planet Tijus.

Scotty smiled at Rand when their eyes met, and she waved at him, returning his smile. She was happy to see that he was included in this search party. Besides being an all-around great guy, Scotty had proven to be a lifesaver, quite literally, on many past missions. Khobran had told her, on several occasions, that Scotty served as a kind of mentor to him, a kind of father figure during the time of his own father’s absence. They’ve grown pretty close, and while the thought of that warmed her, it also made her lonely, for while Scotty still had a friendship with the man she loved, she had a distance from him now that was of her own thoughtless making. Rand felt the tears coming on, but forced them down with a tight-lipped smile as she turned her attention to Kevin Riley. 

Riley gave Rand one of his endearing, crooked smiles and wriggled his brows comically. Rand laughed, her mood forgivingly lifted. Kevin Riley was the ship’s resident clown, and an outrageous, though good- natured flirt. She’s always considered him, along with Nyota and Hikaro, a good friend.

Rand’s attention turned to Dr. Mathias Begay, who was leaning against the table’s edge. The young doctor looked briefly up at Rand, acknowledged her with a nod, and then returned his gaze to his feet. Rand didn’t know Dr. Begay very well, and had only talked to him in passing, but he seemed to be a nice enough guy. Rand had a wicked thought just at that moment, as her mind’s eyes presented an image of her raising her arms and shouting to the heavens: “Thank God he ain’t Dr. McCoy!” She chuckled, tickled and relieved until she turned her attention to the last member of the landing party.

Her relief was popped and deflated when she spotted Nurse Hyacinth Rose leaning against the edge of the table next to Dr. Begay, biting her nails and scrutinizing the damage. Rand rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Look at this idiot! When she’s away from a cafeteria, she makes a meal out of her nails. She probably sees the dirt between her nails as a side dish,” Rand thought, disgusted.

Rand clearly understood that every doctor needed their nurse, but why, of all people, did they have to select a member of Chapel’s catty gossip brigade? Rand took a good look at Nurse Rose.

“Well, she was certainly made to be a follower with her non-descript self,” Rand thought.

Having Rose on the mission could prove to be a miserable prospect. Just then, Nurse Rose looked up at Rand and started to say something. Rand abruptly turned away, mercifully avoiding eye contact, putting an end to any meandering, immature chit chat before it had a chance to even begin.

Just then, Rand heard the double doors zip open. Captain Kirk entered the conference room with First Officer Spock close behind him. 

“Everyone’s here. Good. Let’s get started, please.” 

The landing party gathered around the long round table and took their places as they pulled out chairs to sit around the captain. Kirk sat at the head of the table while Spock sat at his right. Rand sat across from Spock, to the captain’s left. Placing her equipment on the table, she turned on her recorder and positioned it in voice range of Kirk, situated her padd in front of her and poised her pen over it. 

“Thank you all for being prompt,” said Captain Kirk. “You’ve all been selected for a search and rescue mission on the planet Tijus. An archeological team conducting excavations of a recently discovered ancient civilization has disappeared without a trace, literally.” 

The lights dimmed, and images of the desert planet Tijus appeared on the viewing screen, behind the captain’s chair.

“There have been previous searches with full-planet scans, but no trace of life-forms have ever been detected.”

“Excuse me sir, but exactly how many searches such as these have been conducted?” asked Riley.

“In actuality, there have been three separate searches,” said Spock.  
Puzzled looks passed between the other members of the landing party.

“I don’t seem to understand, sir. If three full-planet scans couldn’t pick up any life forms, then why exactly are we going down there?” asked Scotty.

“I agree with Mr. Scott. It just doesn’t make any sense. No one is down there, as obvious from the findings of these scans,” said Dr. Begay thoughtfully.

“Protocol, Dr. Begay,” said Kirk, smiling good-naturedly. “When all other mechanical searches pick up nothing, then a search party goes in.”

Rand took down notes on her padd, its surface lit to accommodate her in the artificially-imposed darkness of the room.

Kirk continued. “You will all conduct the search, of course, on the excavation site. This mission will have a week’s duration, so you will be staying on the premises, in the station where the archeologists stayed. You are to report any findings, or lack there of, to Mr. Spock, who will report back to the ship. This is a desert planet, so you will be equipped with the proper attire. Mr. Spock will take over from here to tell you about other things you’ll need for this mission. Any questions?”

The captain paused, looking directly at each member of the search party. 

“Good. Mr. Spock, it’s all yours now.”

Kirk got up from the head of the table and walked out of the conference room, while Spock got up from his own chair and sat down in the captain’s place. 

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter II  
Part 2

Rand walked quickly through the large, orderly labyrinth of the busy changing room station, clothes and equipment cradled in her arms as she searched for an available stall. Finally spotting an empty room, Rand claimed it, stepped in and placed her stuff on a table. Once settled, she walked over to the corner where the open and shut mechanism was situated and positioned her hand over the button, when she heard a low pitched, nasal voice from just outside the hall.

“Mind if I join you?”

Rand turned to see a smiling Nurse Rose standing in the hall of the labyrinth, holding her own stuff in her arms.

“Shit,” thought Rand. “Is she kidding?” She let out a defeated breath and motioned Rose to come in. “You’re already here, Hyacinth. Come on.”

Rose eagerly stepped in and placed her clothes and equipment next to Rand’s on the table. Judging from the vacant smile on her face, Rose had clearly missed the dripping sarcasm rimming in Rand’s voice. Rose started talking immediately, not wasting even a moment of quiet time.

“Wow! Talk about a mission, huh? What on earth do you suppose happened to those people? Talk about hide-and –seek, huh?”

Rand tried to ignore Rose as she pressed the mechanism that shut the door to the changing room. When the two women had privacy, Rand walked over to the table where her clothes and equipment sat.

“Yeah, hide-and-seek,” said Rand dispassionately, paying more attention to her hair than to Rose’s yammering. She gingerly pulled the bobbi pins from her French twist, working her fingers through her hair until it fell to the length of her back. Rand placed the pins on the table and began to undress. 

Rand was not too happy right now. Between being stuck in this room with Miss Chatterbox and her guilt over hurting Khobran, this day was certainly not starting out too well. Perhaps, maybe, this mission would keep her preoccupied. Right now, that was the one thing she had to look forward to. Hopefully, she’d be able to avoid Rose as much as possible during the mission. At least Rand could be thankful that she was a yeoman, and not a doctor. 

“Oh, wow! Look at you, girl,” said Rose jauntily.

Rand turned to Rose as she placed her uniform, pantyhose, red shorts and undergarments on the table.

“What’s wrong?” asked Rand, annoyed.

“You have such a nice figure, all slender and curvy at the same time. Look at those breasts—they just shoot out like heat-seeking missiles! Full speed ahead!”

Rose fell back in loud whooping guffaws, her face turning chili-pepper red, her belly shaking. Rand smirked, and positioned herself so that she was squarely facing Rose.

“Wait ‘till you see how they aim!” Rand said with oiliness.

Rose stopped in mid laughter, almost as if by a switch, looked at Rand blankly, and then broke into even louder, more grating laughter. Rand rolled her eyes, shook her head, and reached for the specially padded, smooth, shapeless undergarments that were worn under the jumpsuits. Her nerves rattled under Rose’s uncontrollable chuckles and snorts while she stepped into her underpants, making the simple act of dressing feel more like a session of Chinese water torture. As Rose’s laughter subsided, much to Rand’s relief, Rand suddenly had the distinct feeling that there were eyes glued on her. She turned to Rose, expectantly.

“Is there a problem?” 

“Oh, no. It’s just that your figure reminds me so much of Christine’s. Long lines and curves.”

Rand stopped in the mist of changing, clearly insulted by this dubious comparison.

“Why the hell would you say something like that to me?” she asked, incredulous.

“Well, uh, I’m not saying they’re the exact same…”

“Exactly, because they’re not!”

“…but they fall into the same type. So tall, slender, curvy. You know?”

Rand continued to change, reaching for her jumpsuit and stepping into the pant legs.

“Whatever,” she said with disgust.

She had seen Chapel naked once, in the women’s steam room, where she had, in the middle of her “all about moi” chats, undraped her towel and tossed it aside in her inimitable over-dramatic form, so that her adoring minion of butt-kissers could envy the physical graces that she thought she was blessed with. Chapel’s body was nice enough, reminding one of a runway model from Earth’s consumer past. Lots of length and sharp lines, her physique was an angular dream for designers to drape fabric over. Elegant was the word one came up with in describing Chapel’s body. 

Aside from her height, there was nothing elegant about Rand’s body. Slender, taunt lines gave way to soft curves that fabric tended to hug and cling to, accentuating her tiny waist, her pert little ass, her firm thighs, her full, jutting breasts. She was proud of her body, and she loved the fact that Khobran loved it too. 

Rand recalled the time when they were in her quarters, and she had just removed the last stitch of clothing on her body. She stood naked in front of Khobran, her lips parted as she piled her hair on her head and lowered her gaze directly at him. He sat on the edge of the bed, fully clothed. His eyes swept over her every inch, savoring her body. Rand smiled, remembering Khobran pulling her towards him and bracing her between his knees while he explored her brazenly, thoroughly. Almost to the brink of orgasm, Rand reached down and tugged the waist of his pants, revealing his erect member, already glistening at the tip. Every fiber in her body pulsated when her lover picked her up effortlessly by her hips, placed his hands between her thighs, gently pushed them open, and lowered her onto him, making her gasp at that first shot of probing, moist, exquisite pain. 

Then, the memories started to fade, to change, to refocus to the last time they were together in her quarters. She could see the argument, how angry Khobran was, how hurt. The tears brimming in his eyes, and then his coolness, his withdrawal.

“Is everything all right? You seem far away.”

“What?”

“Wanna talk about it?”

Rand looked sharply at Rose. What was it about Chapel and her nosy horde that they were able to sniff out just the right moments to interrupt her thoughts.

“No, I don’t,” Rand said flatly.

By now, the two women were fully clothed and equipped for their mission on Tijus.

“Oh, come on! I can be a good listener,” said Rose, leaning into Rand’s side and giving her a little nudge. Rand shook her head and snorted, not even bothering to give Rose a second glance.

“Good listening is usually a prerequisite for good gossip,” she said with pronounced sarcasm. 

And with that, Rand picked up her clothes, hair pins, and boots, walked over to one of the lockers, placed her stuff in one of the slots, and locked them safely in. Standing with her back to Rose, Rand brushed and gathered her hair into a low-riding ponytail, walked back to the table, threw her brush in her duffle, zipped it closed, slung it over her shoulder, went over to the mechanism that operated the door, punched it open, and walked out of the changing room without looking back, or saying another word.

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter II  
Part 3

Rand left the changing room in a shot, pacing herself as quickly as she possibly could, away from the unwanted company of a certain nurse. 

“Hey, Janice! Wait up!”

Rand continued, stepping up her pace and looking straight ahead, maneuvering around other pedestrians in a desperate attempt to lose this woman in the corridors. 

“I seeee yoou!”

God, she couldn’t get a moment’s peace down the goddamn hall! Was this a little glimpse of how her time on Tijus would be? 

“There you are!” said Rose, breathing heavily.

Wasn’t Starfleet personnel supposed to be in tip-top physical condition?

“I sure wish we didn’t have to wear these stupid jumpsuits! I hate the way I look in them!”

“Is this a mission, or a fashion show?” Rand thought to herself caustically.

Looking at the two women together, one might be able to understand Rose’s insecurities. Side by side, the differences in the way they looked in their tan form-fitting jumpsuits was so stark in contrast, it was almost comical. Rose’s thick-waisted, thick-limbed, medium-height physique made her look like a single piece of sausage in shrink-wrapping. Even her medium ashy-brown hair lacked definition, styled in a cut that appeared to be growing out of whatever shape it was originally intended for.

Listening to Rose go on and on was absolutely insufferable. What exactly was it in her physiology that kept those lips flapping and those cords honking out mish-mosh? She would be sure to try to avoid this woman by any means possible on Tijus, “trying” being the operative word. Rand wasn’t sure, quite frankly, if it would be possible at all, the six of them stuck together for a time on a desert planet. She shuddered at the thought.

It was a sign of mercy from above when the two women reached the transporter room. They walked through the double automated doors and saw the rest of the landing party dressed in their desert terrain attire, placing needed equipment onto the transporter pad. 

There was one tall man who was not a part of the landing party, as his broad tapered back was clad in the red tunic of engineering, but he was hoisting up a particularly large, heavy piece of equipment with the ease that a human would with a great big stuffed animal, of an huge empty cardboard box. Rand stopped walking and stood still, catching her breath. When Khobran placed the generator onto the transporter pad, he turned around. 

The two lovers were hooked together by the power of their gazes, enclosing them under an invisible capsule of their own making that no one else could enter. Khobran moved ever so slightly, trying to get on with his duties, but he stayed where he was. Rand walked towards him with quiet determination, her eyes never leaving him, holding him with an expression on her face that said: “We’re not done here, and you’ll never be able to shake me. Don’t try it.” But, what came out of her mouth was a tender, sweet “Hi, Khobran.”

She could feel her eyes sting, and she frankly didn’t care whether people would be able to see her cry if she did so. If it embarrassed Khobran, then so be it. 

Khobran looked down at Rand, his eyes conveying both longing to be with her and pleading for her to keep away. Love and pain. When he finally managed to pull away from her, it was with a hesitation that spoke of a conflict going on inside him. Good. That was exactly where she wanted him. 

Rand followed Khobran with a hawk’s eye when he positioned himself behind the transporter console. She prowled after him, undulating her hips, running her fingertips over the edges of the shining black control board. Gathering her hands behind her back, Rand leaned back into the console, displaying her graceful curves encased in her terrain jumpsuit for Khobran’s benefit. He ignored Rand, or tried to, but his extreme focus on the panel controls were a dead-out giveaway to his uneasiness. Khobran’s handsome face looked strained, and his neck was craned downward in a way that it made Rand worry that he might be hurting himself, and all on account of avoiding eye contact with her. She could see a small vein popping from the side of his neck as he glued his eyes on the control board.

“A little bit too much concentration, don’t you think?” she asked lightly, looking into his face.

Khobran parted his lips, and he shifted his feet back and forth, his eyes darting rapidly under her scrutiny. Was he squirming? 

“Energize,” Scotty called back to Khobran.

Khobran promptly pulled the mechanism down, which transmuted the equipment into scrambling light particles that vanished from sight.

“You did that well,” said Rand smiling softly.

Khobran turned his head in Rand’s direction and then quickly snapped it back down to the console. 

“Uhm, have everything you need for the mission?” he asked tentatively, his deep voice catching at the end of his last word.

“Yes, I do.” Rand pushed herself up from the console and pressed herself gently against him.

“Is that the last of the equipment, Scotty?” he asked, his composure slipping as he continued to shift on his feet. Back and forth…back and forth…

“Yes, laddy! That’s it,” said Scotty with a bright smile.

“Well, I guess that’s your cue, huh?” Khobran said to Rand.

It was then that he mustered up the courage to look directly at her, his love for her so achingly apparent in his eyes. Oh, God, Khobran. I’m so sorry. I love you, don’t you know that?

“Khobran,” Rand said, reaching for his shoulder and squeezing it. “I wish you were coming with me on this mission,” she half-whispered.

Rand gave him one more lingering look before she turned away and headed for the transporter platform. She took her place on one of the pads, next to Riley, and turned to face Khoban as he stood, a tad shaken, behind the controls.

“Ready to beam down, Lieutenant,” Mr. Spock said from where he was situated. 

Khobran worked the controls, his capable hands making final adjustments for landing party beam down.

“The equipment should be just a few centmeters in front of you when you arrive on the planet,” said Khobran, glancing at Rand every now and then.

“Very good,” said Spock. “We are ready for beam down, Mr. Khobran.”

Rand watched Khobran pull the transporting lever down, and a light, tingly, swirling sensation coursed upwards and across her body. At the point of near dematerialization, Rand felt a tear fall from her eye when she looked at Khobran for the last time, his yearning face rippling and finally submerging into the vast ocean of cold black space.

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter III  
Part 1

Rand felt herself materialize onto the desert planet surface of Tijus. She gave her body time to get its bearings, for her feet to feel more secure to the ground and her vision to stop shifting. When she was finally grounded and centered, she, along with the rest of the landing party, started to take in their surroundings. 

The archeological site was like a ghost town, the wind making loud hollow groans as it coiled its way through the abandoned structures, like a serpent. In the middle of this site was a hole dug wide and deep, surrounded by scaffolding and digging tools of various types and sizes, that swayed on the hooks of their tool stands. Unearthed ancient artifacts were placed neatly in a rectangular box, each item separated by compartments while padds, pens, and flashlights lied next to these boxes. The desert sand had accumulated around these tools and findings, almost covering them from sight. The buildings where the archeologists had resided surrounded the spot, the one-story rectangular structures stretching vertically behind them, making narrow alleys in between, that acted as tunnels for the howling winds.

Rand noticed how the planet itself was a dune of burnt-orange lying underneath contorted, sloping boulders of a rich deep chocolate hue, placed in various distances from one another, like a vast, endless zen garden. All this was blanketed by a solid, cloudless turquoise sky with a blood orange sun hovering over the precipice of the horizon, getting ready to set. Purple configurations, like ribbons, flowed and twisted against the sky, radiating from the flaming ball of the sun in abstract-expressionist patterns. Rand soaked in the desolate beauty around her, her attention away from the site and the other members of the landing party. She looked down at the burnt-orange ground underneath her feet, and noticed that the pant legs of her jumpsuit were now the same exact color of the desert sand. When she looked up from where she stood, she saw that the rest of the landing party was clad in the same burnt-orange shade. The terrain suits were designed to function in many different climates. Besides camouflage, these outfits were able to regulate the temperature of the fabric so that the wearer would be able to survive in more extreme climates, like a desert, or an arctic tundra. 

The landing party was gathering around Spock, so Rand pulled herself away from her communion with the alien landscape and walked over to join the other crewmen, who were posing questions about their mission to Mr. Spock.

“Do you think that these archeologists were kidnapped by beings hostile to the Federation?” asked Scotty, placing his hands on his hips and squinting his eyes, looking like an old movie sleuth. 

Spock looked pensive as he brought his hand up to his chin and cupped it with his long, elegant fingers.

“If that is what has happened, then we will indeed find the evidence that tells us so,” he said simply.

“Do you suppose that circumstances arose that gave them no other choice but to leave, like a plague or something?” asked Riley.

“No evidence of such has been picked up by any of the planet-wide scanning searches,”  
said Spock with finality.

Rand looked ahead of her and could see all the needed equipment standing obediently by, a few feet in front of the landing party, just as Khobran had assured they would be. 

Khobran.

Rand felt a pang in her chest as she visualized his face, his hurt face. She hoped that their time away from one another would heal the emotional wounds that she had inflicted upon him. 

Damn it.

“Is that a greenhouse?”

The question came from Nurse Rose, her low horsey voice cutting through Rand’s thoughts. Rand turned to where Rose was pointing and, sure enough, spotted a large greenhouse that stood a few feet above the other buildings, its prism glass glinting with the deep red of the evening sun.

“Probably where the archeologists cultivated much of their food supply. They were here for the long term,” said Spock. 

“Do you think there will be clues inside as to what might have happened to them?” asked Dr. Begay.

“It’s worth a look, Doctor,” said Spock.

The landing party started towards the greenhouse. There was an eerie quiet surrounding them as they gained ground to the asymmetrical building, its girth widening menacingly the closer they got to it. Rand was softly on edge, cautious and watchful, turning her head sideways and behind her, grateful that she was not the last in the group as Riley and Rose were close in back of her. 

They reached the greenhouse and stood in front of it. There was no initiative to enter the greenhouse by anyone in the landing party, but one by one, they began to take a look around the surrounding area, being mindful not to stray too far from the group. Rand walked up to the building, unable too see clearly because of the play of light on the glass, flickering back and forth slowly, with ease. She leaned her forehead onto the window and cupped her hands over the sides of her eyes. 

Rows of plant life of various colors, sizes and types filled up her view with vigorous, unbruised vitality.

“At least the greenhouse is working. Real convenient for us. The produce we brought with us is packed in ice,” she thought.

Having grown up on organic food, the thought of eating fresh produce sang of absolute heaven for Rand. The fruits and vegetables on the Enterprise were usually packed in sub stasis for so long that what resulted in taste was a freezer-burn residue. Yuch. But now she was overjoyed as she spotted corn and carrots over to the right in the corner of the greenhouse. 

The produce was swimming in a rich amber light from the setting sun, it’s color mixing nicely with the greens, yellows, oranges, reds, blues, purple; all the hues represented by the comely bounty in this place. It all had a very soothing affect on Rand, putting her earlier prickliness to rest, ebbing away into a seductive calm. 

That seductive calm seemed to do something to the leaves, stems, and roots of the plant life in the greenhouse. The characteristics of colors changed in a blink of an eye, becoming more intense while the membranes of the plants turned more pliant in texture. 

Rand spotted a flutter of movement among the foliage, and assumed, at first, that it came from a small animal. 

“Maybe a lizard snuck in through a crack in the building,” Rand thought.

But then the fluttering started to ripple through the plants and produce, fingering its way outward, like waves from a pebble that was tossed in a quiet pond. In her confusion, Rand tried to find out where the movement was coming from, but then, something happened. The foliage began to widen, stretching outward, reaching forward, magnifying their presence against Rand’s view. The tips and veins of the leaves, stalks and stems started to convolute out of shape, bending and wriggling into amorphous clumps which grew limbs, heads and torsos, muscles writhing underneath what now appeared to be flesh. Mouths opened grotesquely, male members sprang up, necks pulled forward, and arms reached out while waists, ankles and buttocks carved themselves into existence. 

At first, Rand couldn’t quite make out what she was seeing, then after she was able to see what was happening in front of her eyes, she couldn’t believe it! 

The plant life, the vegetables, the fruits, the flora, were replaced by doll-sized humanoid forms all engaged in a variety of sexual positions. Clusters of hairless couples, threesomes, sometimes orgies, went at it from where they were. Some bucked and pushed in frenetic and dizzying energy, others caressed and explored one another in gentle, hesitant lovemaking. They were in the same colors as the plant life and produce--red, purple, yellow, orange, pink, blue and green.

Rand pressed herself against the glass, unable to tear her eyes away from the action that unfolded in front of her, her breathing growing more rapid as it fogged the window near her mouth, her hands flattening, adhered to the plate of glass of the greenhouse. Her attention turned to the stalks of corn, the peaks of kernels gone, replaced by large yellow penises bursting out of green sheaves. The tomatoes in the corner were now rounded red plump breasts, the green stems now hardened, puckered nipples, offered freely and openly. Lettuce morphed into light green vaginal folds pulsating out of the rich soil, and the pumpkins were now buttocks of many different sizes and shapes also sticking out of the soil, effectively mooning Rand. 

Of all the copulating humanoids in front of her, Rand was drawn to one particular green couple. The young woman was sprawled on her back, lying on the shelf where many of the plants had been, her lithe body undulating and squirming underneath her lover in the throws of orgasm. Her long, graceful, toned legs were spread wide in accommodation as her beautiful face was twisted in wanting heat. Her breasts, though not large, were full, firm, buoyant and round. They bounced along to the rhythm of the woman gliding back and forth, pushing and pulling on her lover as she shook her head frantically. 

But what really drew Rand to this woman was that the face and body was her own.

That diminutive creature was her!

The woman’s eyes were shut tight while her hands gripped her lover’s pumping hips. The man’s pace quickened as his own face contorted in ecstasy. 

The male figure was powerful, chiseled in lean muscle. His broad shoulders flexed, his head and neck raised, his body shining in sweat. 

He turned his face over in Rand’s direction and looked straight at her. 

It was Khobran’s face. 

He looked straight into Rand’s transfixed eyes, his body shuttering in release, his mouth wide. After his came inside his lover, he jutted out his tongue and flicked it in rapid motion, like a reptile. 

Rand reflexively pushed herself away from the glass and gripped her stomach, her eyes still wide like a frightened doe under the double-barrel of a rifle. She hastily looked both ways to see and wondered if the other crew members had witnessed what she had, but she was too embarrassed to dare ask if they had witnessed it. Her hands creeped to her neck and she took a few steps back, then she felt something as she looked down between her wobbly legs. 

There was dampness between her folds, though it was just a whisper.

“Shit,” Rand thought while the blood rose to her cheeks, flushing her face with redness and warmth.

“Why on Earth would they dump all those boxes of unused food in there like that? All the heat from the greenhouse will make them spoil! What a waste!” exclaimed Nurse Rose indignantly, her voice muffled by the fact that she was just about pressing her nose and mouth against the greenhouse window.

“What the hell are you talking about? What food? I see a lot of gym equipment, though. It’s like the people just decided to dump it all in there! Why would they put gym equipment in a freakin’ greenhouse, for Christ’s sake?” asked Riley.

“No, you’re both wrong. It’s discarded medical waste-bloodied sutures, old needles, stuff like that. Discarding that stuff where you keep your produce?” said Dr. Begay, shaking his head in amazement. 

Rand looked at the three of them, who were peering into the greenhouse just like she had been, and was stunned.

“Why are we all seeing different things in that greenhouse?!” she thought.

“Interesting.”

Rand turned to see Spock and Scotty standing close behind the rest of the group.

“Three people seeing different things, even though they are looking inside the same place. Fascinating.” 

Rand, at least, could be relieved, because she’d have to hide somewhere if everyone saw what she saw! 

“Rand, can you tell us what you saw?” Scotty suddenly asked out of the blue, though earnestly.

Rand’s eyes grew wide again, and she was once more aware of the wetness between her legs.

“I…saw…plants turning…into…large, erect, trees,” Rand stammered.

There. That should pass as the truth. 

Scotty and Spock looked at each other.

“Did you look inside the greenhouse?” Scotty asked Spock.

“No.”

“Neither did I. Guess we’ll have to look inside to see what’s in there after all.”

“Yes, I would agree with that, Mr. Scott.”

Everyone stepped aside for the two men when they walked purposefully to the greenhouse door. They stepped inside and looked around, their faces showing no reaction at all. After a short while, Rand, Riley, Rose, and Dr. Begay followed suite and stepped inside. Rand and the others spun around, clearly startled at what they were seeing, exclamations of confusion tumbling out of their lips in quick discordant succession while they took in everything around them. They looked up, and then looked down on the floor. 

On the floor of the greenhouse were discarded cardboard boxes strewn around in disarray, empty flowering pots broken in bits and halves, dried pale tan and grey soil fallen underneath them. The plants, the produce, the vegetation which had been colorful and alive to Rand’s eyes only moments ago, hung crisp and limp from shelves, in cracked rows of dirt, and suspended containers. Fruits and vegetables lay rotted, the skins peeling and cracking away from the sun-scorched, juiceless meat. The atmosphere was not moist and warm, but cool and arid like the evening desert outside. 

Rand knelt down and picked up a dry, lifeless plant the size of an African violet. She held it up in one hand and with the other hand closed her fingers around the leaves, crumbling them easily like ancient parchment. Tossing the plant back on the ground, she wiped her hands on her pant legs and got back on her feet. 

Rand could feel that earlier raw, spooked feeling making a comeback. 

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter III  
Part 2

The landing party was meeting in a room that was situated in the very middle of the main building where the archeologists had lived. It was a large square room filled with a motley collection of portable furniture; chairs, tables, shelves and crates placed haphazardly around the area, some of the pieces either lying on their sides or overturned. It was as if the archeologists, in their haste, had toppled over furniture while escaping from some unknown terror. 

The color of the room was a dingy grayish-brown, quite a stark contrast to the beauty of  
the planet itself. It gave off an atmosphere of utilitarianism; work, schedules to be met, storage to keep track of. While there were games on the shelves like Chess, cards, and Mahjong, there was no sense of play, fun, or comaraderie in these interiors. Doorless rectangular passageways on either side of the room lead to long dark halls to other rooms in the building. 

The landing party busied itself with straightening out the furniture and picking up pieces of games that have strayed out of their boxes on the shelves. When Scotty had entered the room, everyone else stopped what they were doing and gathered together around him and Spock. 

“Well, now you have central heating on, but it’s gonna take a wee bit of time before the place even begins to warm up. And you’ll be glad to know that the portable water tanks are filled with enough water to last us awhile. Couple that with the extra water we brought from the ship, we’re good to go,” said Scotty, holding a wrench in his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Scott. Hopefully, the heating process will not take too much time,” said Spock.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I sure could use a cup of joe just about now,” said Riley, vigorously rubbing his hands. 

Rand, who was standing next to Riley, smiled and turned to him.

“I think that can be arranged,” she chirped.

Rand turned and walked out the back door, which led to a lengthy, half-lit hallway. Turning a corner, Rand spotted the kitchen and hurried towards it. 

“Can’t make them all wait,” she thought as she trotted towards the bright light of the kitchen, which emanated the corridor. 

The kitchen was a white, low-ceiling, stretch of interior with a long counter in front of a serving window. Right beneath this window stood a coffee pot, one that had obviously belonged to the archeologists, as the coffee pot from the Enterprise was still sitting unpacked in one of their crates.

“All the more convenient,” she said aloud to herself as she whisked herself behind the counter, took the coffee pot, and went behind the serving window to the narrow cooking area with its stove, oven, cooking and eating utensils and cabinets. 

Rand went over to a cabinet, which was right over the other side of the serving window, and reached up, opened it, spotted a tin of coffee right on the bottom shelf, and grabbed it.

“Good, plenty still in here,” she said to herself after opening up the lid and peeking inside the tin. 

Rand removed the filter from the coffee pot and opened it, rinsed it out in the sink right below the cabinet, filled it with coffee grinds, replaced the filter lid, and put it aside as she placed the coffee pot under the one-notch faucet, allowing cold water to shoot into the pot. When the pot was filled up she placed the filter back in it and closed the top. Putting the pot down on the ledge of the serving window, she pulled out her phaser from its holster and set it to stun, aimed it, and fired.

The coffee pot glowed a bright orange-yellow under the phaser fire. Rand could smell the rich aroma of coffee emanating from the stainless steel pot. When she was satisfied, she released her thumb, ceasing fire.

While Rand waited for the pot to cool down, she replaced her phaser in her holster, reached for a tray, a carafe, cups, saucers, spoons and rinsed them, reached for small packets of condiments and carried all of these items over to the front counter to set them up. 

Rand went back over to the server window to check on the pot. It had cooled down, as the glow from the laser had faded. She promptly took the handle and picked up the pot, carrying it over to the tray, flipped open the carafe top and poured the coffee into it. 

After setting the empty coffee pot back onto the hot plate, Rand gripped the sides of the tray and its contents and carefully picked them all up, carrying everything out the kitchen and into the hall, heading back to the meeting room where everyone else sat in the cold brought about by the desert evening.

“Oh my God, please tell me I’m not seeing things!” exclaimed Riley with a huge joyful smile on his face when he turned to see Rand enter the meeting room with the big tray of coffee, cups and saucers, which she placed gingerly on one of the tables in the room.

The landing party eagerly gathered around the tray, exclamations of relief from the cold filling the room as Rand poured each person a cup of coffee from the carafe and handed one to each of the crewmembers. 

“Thank you, Janice!” You’re an angel!” said Dr. Begay, taking the cup of hot coffee and cradling it reverently between the palms of his hands and inhaling the nutty, glorious aroma. 

“You’re very welcome, Mathias,” said Rand.

“Goodness, Lassie! Hot coffee! How in God’s name did you finagle this without any power around here yet?” asked Scotty, eagerly taking the cup of coffee offered to him, like an excited child.

Rand shrugged her shoulders, clearly proud of her small feat.

“I simply filled up the coffee pot with coffee grinds and water, zapped it with my phaser, and presto-chango, coffee! Now, mind you, you may end up glowing in the dark after drinking the stuff, but at least it’s hot.”

Rand’s quip was followed by grateful, relaxed chuckles from the rest of the landing party, all except for Mr. Spock, who waved away Rand’s gesture  
of offering.

“I fail to see how drinking coffee that has been heated with a phaser will actually make one glow in the dark,” he said with an incredulousness that only he could deliver.

Rand, after taking Spock’s coffee for herself, looked at him with a deadpan expression on her face and said: “That was a joke, Mr. Spock.”

Spock nodded his head, as if doing so would make him eventually understand, but the final raise of an eyebrow indicated a clear mark of defeat in ever getting the joke.

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter III  
Part 3

It was in the middle of the night, and the light of the two moons streamed their way through the window blinds in schemes of blazing white lines, giving the colorless spartan bedroom a film noir atmosphere. Rand lied in her inflated bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She’d been restless all night, tossing and turning in bed, getting up to adjust and re-adjust the blinds, plump up or smooth down her pillow. 

It was a profound sadness that was keeping her awake, and it didn’t matter how many times she had tried to alter her surroundings, she couldn’t shake the sadness that held her in it’s tight-fisted grip.

Khobran.

In the past, whenever she thought about her lover, Rand was always filled with warmth, joy, belonging. Now, at this moment, lying in the semi-darkness, they brought her pain. It was a pain that sat like a sullen weight on her chest, making her almost hyperventilate. Images of Khobran, his accusing, hurt face, of him storming out of her quarters on the Enterprise, and finally of his yearning face in the transporter room, closed in on her. If she only had a chance to talk to him, to explain herself, to assure him, to tell him he was being unfair, stubborn…to stand on her head and juggle for him! God! How many times was she going to go over this shit?! Over and over she went over and over and over and over…FUCK IT!

Rand threw the covers over her head. She was going to sleep if it killed her! God knows Khobran was probably sleeping like a baby back on the ship! Or was he.

Was he?

Rand saw visions of Khobran’s taunt, emerald green skin, his muscular naked flanks appearing to her under the covers, the material of the blanket acting like some kind of movie screen for Khobran to present himself to her. Rand’s breathing slowed, and she was lulled into an odd state of both serenity and passion while her lover’s beauty engulfed her. The warmth that she had always associated with Khobran returned to her in full force, sweeping up from her toes to the top of her head like a silent rip tide. She could see her hands running over the firm, cut sinews of his powerful thighs, his hard buttocks, shoulders, neck, and jaw line. 

Oh, yes.

God, yes!

His skin was so smooth, so perfect. Rand could see her fingers running up Khobran’s chin, feeling the warmth of his breath on them as she traced his full lips. She wanted him, craved him. Her body grew hot, so hot that she had to kick the covers away for relief, not that she got any. Not that she wanted any. 

Rand’s body was piping hot, burning, as she squirmed against the mattress, giggling and humming. The wetness between her legs returned, teasing her. Her breasts became engorged, her nipples sensitive. She removed her nightshirt, amazed and amused at how her hard nipples resembled pink coins. She felt her clit harden and tingle as she parted her legs so wide she felt her vaginal lips part. 

Rand squeezed her firm breasts together with her upper arms, feeling their round firmness pressing together in a unified, tantalizing sensation. She ran the middle finger of her left hand over her sensitive bud, rubbing it vigorously while she inserted the middle finger of her right hand into her tight slit, pulling and pushing it in and out in slick moistness. Rand drew in her breath and shut her eyes while her passage tightened around her finger and her clit become raw from her manipulations. She choked out a little sound and pumped her slender hips, causing her sweaty ass to raise off the mattress. 

Rand became addicted to this delicious feeling and worked on herself furiously, gyrating her hips and grinding her tight little rump into the mattress now, her breath ragged as she whispered Khobran again and again in high-pitched uneven cries. Khobran! Khobran! Oh, my God! Ooooh! She arched her back as she came in a long shutter, her inhalation sucking into her body in jolts. After the tide subsided, Rand flopped onto the mattress in a thud, letting out a lengthy, rapid breath, like a deflating balloon.

Rand languished in her bed, her arms flung up over her head and her legs still wide open, like a randy rag doll. She ran her hands through her long loose hair and took a deep breath, regaling in the afterglow from her thrashing with her phantom lover. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she was finally drifting off to sleep. 

Rand was breathing softly, and the room held the quiet that was unique to the middle of the night, and she was at peace. 

“Khobran,” she whispered.

Rand stretched out her beautiful, slender upper body like a limber feline and yarned when a little pattering tingled on either side of her inner thighs, and traveled to the very bottom tip of her vagina, where the pattering mutated into an ice cold, wet, abrasive pressing that passed up the length of her vaginal lips, her folds, her tender clit.

Rand was wrenched out of her lulling and bolted upright, her spine in a knot, her eyes pressed downward and her mouth drawn back to expose gritted teeth. She scrambled in fear and panic towards the wall at the head of the bed, her arms and legs flying and jerking about in emotional chaos and dread. Grabbing the covers and yanking them up her naked body, Rand pressed herself against the wall and huddled, quivering. She could feel her body hairs raise and prickle on every inch of her skin. She turned her head in different directions, searching, looking for the thing that molested her. She was alone, the corners of her room bare and shadowy. 

There was no one, nothing there.

No one but her.

It took Rand at least two hours to fall back to sleep. 

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter IV  
Part 1

The dining area was a long, gray, rectangular room, empty of any furnishings except for a singular, long, rickety dining table situated right in the middle of it. Chairs had to be carried in from the kitchen area if one wanted to sit down for breakfast, unless one didn’t mind standing throughout the whole meal. 

As Scotty, Spock, and Riley brought chairs over and set them around the table, Rand was busy in the kitchen, taking out packets of food and placing them on the trays, which were lined up along the counter. Dr. Begay and Nurse Rose placed napkins, condiments, and utensils alongside the packets and waited while Rand poured steaming cups of coffee from the newly working pot into rinsed cups. 

While she worked, Rand smiled fondly to herself as she thought just how Khobran would feel if he saw her working in the kitchen like this. What was it he had said to her on that day, when she was lying in sickbay being treated for a head injury: 

“The Captain could get his own damn coffee…”

She chuckled to herself, remembering him sitting there by her bedside, his charming awkwardness melting away as the two of them began the journey towards getting to know one another.

But then, the fondness was replaced by an ache, so she had to force herself out of her head and back onto the meals she was helping to prepare.

“Busy yourself, Janice,” she reprimanded herself. “After all, there’s coffee to be served and packets of dry, tasteless astronaut food to be handed out.”

After the last of the meals were served, Rand poured the rest of the coffee from the pot into the carafe and carried it to the dining area, placed it on the breakfast table, and sat down next to Riley where her meal was already waiting for her.

“Oh, yumbo,” she exclaimed rubbing her hands in jest. “Maybe I can whiten my teeth with this stuff, it’s so hard.” 

Riley turned from the conversation he was having with Scotty and laughed.

“Hey, at least it doesn’t taste like toothpaste,” he chimed in.

“No, it just won’t taste like anything,” Rand said.

Riley sat forward with his elbows propped on the table and looked at Rand.

“I noticed that you brought your yoga mat along with you.”

“Damn straight! I don’t go anywhere without my yoga mat, or my yoga routine,” she said with a bright smile. “Name a position, I never leave home without it.”

A particular pose appeared in her head, the cow pose, which consisted of one being on their hands and knees and then curling their chest and butt up towards the ceiling on the inhale. Then, another image flashed in her brain of herself in this same position, but naked, with Khobran nailing her vigorously from behind in an erotic dance of cries and sweaty bodies.

“Wuh-watch eh-it, la-lassie! Yoo- your c-coffee!” exclaimed Scotty.

“What? Oh, shit!” Rand was able to snap out of her dreaming and lift up the carafe before the coffee overflowed in her cup. 

“Jeez, thanks Scotty! Guess I was off somewhere else!”

No kidding.

“I-tuh it hu-hu-happens,” Scotty said with a smile and shrug of his shoulders.

Wait a minute. What’s with Scotty? 

Is he stuttering?

Rand looked at Riley, who was sitting right next to her, to try to gage his reaction, since he was close enough to hear Scotty, but Riley didn’t seem to notice.

Rand shrugged her own shoulders. “Maybe I’m just hearing things,” she thought as she put down the carafe and started to tear open her packet of freeze-dried food. 

She looked at the brown and yellow chips, wafers and cubes that tumbled out of the white container. Before she became an astronaut, Rand had always looked forward to a fine meal at home, or in one of the many chic eateries that lined the main streets of Montclair. But ever since joining the Academy and entering Starfleet, she’s had to struggle through freezer-burned entrees on the Enterprise and barely edible concoction during on- planet missions, that either came crunchy, dry and rattling in a box, or as a paste to be squeezed out in a tube.

Rand shook her head, utterly grossed out. She’d have to force this stuff down with her coffee. Rand reached for her cup, and when she looked up, she noticed Riley with his crossed arms propped up onto the table, his head cocked to the side, looking at her.

“You know, speaking of yoga mats, I can remember back in the Academy this real asshole of a phys. Ed instructor named Russo,” he recalled with a snort. 

“He didn’t like me, and he knew I didn’t like him! Gave me a real hard time! So hard that he fucked me over by giving me a C for the class, just because I tripped during one of his famous obstacle courses!”

“Sounds like you’re still pretty angry at him,” said Dr. Begay, who was sitting across from him at the table.

“Oh you have no idea! He messed up my GPA! I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of revenge fantasies I’ve had for that jerk! One of them was smacking him over the head with a piece of his goddamn gym equipment! He used to guard that junk like they were his little babies or something,” he said with disgust.

Everyone at the table laughed good-naturedly. All except for Spock, who sat silently at the head of the table, eating his meal and drinking his water, oblivious to the mirth around him. Rand had noticed this and simply couldn’t understand how Spock could ignore Nurse Rose, who laughed the loudest of everyone at the table, with her irritating gasps and snorts, her mouth revealing the partially chewed food in her mouth. 

After she recovered, Rose turned to Dr. Begay’s plate of food and then tapped him on the shoulder.

“Do you want that?”

Dr. Begay gave Rose a look. “Ah, yeah. We literally just sat down for breakfast, Hyacinth.”

Rand couldn’t believe that one, and rolled her eyes in response to the nurse’s ill manners. 

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter IV  
Part 2

The intensity of the turquoise sky made it appear touchable with its even, unwavering shade. The blazing white sun that hovered high up seemed almost embedded against the heavens. The sheer magnificence of the horizon made it very difficult for Rand to tear her attention away from it and back to the reason why she was outside in the first place. 

The landing party had been split into three pairs, and Rand was paired with Mr. Spock. The two of them were conducting their part of the search at the outermost tip of the site on the west side, while the others searched on the outermost tip of the east and the south. The idea was to work from the outer rim of the grounds and eventually conclude the search at the very center of the site, where the excavations had taken place. Because of the piecemeal method being used, the search would take a few days to be conducted, giving the landing party plenty of time for a more thorough investigation. 

Spock, with his tricorder in hand, walked around the area gingerly while watching the readings on the monitor screen. Nothing. Rand wasn’t having much luck herself, as the pencil-thin rod that rotated, stretched, dipped, and retreated from behind her monitor failed to show anything on her screen. No body heat, not even readings of corporal remains were picked up.

Rand turned and started to ask Spock a question, but hesitated, and then decided not to pursue it. Her hesitation didn’t quite make sense to her, but she couldn’t help it. It was a reflex, like when the patient’s leg kicks up after their doctor hit their knee with a patella hammer.

It sat in the middle of her shoulder blades, raw, blunt and clammy, ever since she’d been alone on this search with Spock. It spoke of an unease Rand had with him, his presence, and she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why she had this feeling. All she knew was that she wished she’d been paired with someone else. Hell, she’d even clench her teeth and partner with Rose if she had to!

Partner with Rose. Wow. It must be bad if she’d rather be with Rose.

Well, actually, she’d rather be with Khobran, if she really had a choice in the matter. 

Living on a starship could be downright scary at times, much less beaming down on a strange alien planet. Rand recalled many times since they’d been together, during uncertain instances that the Enterprise had faced, how Khobran was there to comfort her, make her feel safe with a firm squeeze on the shoulder, pulling her close and holding her, brushing her bangs aside so that he could kiss her forehead.

“Yeoman Rand!”

Rand was jarred out of her thoughts by Mr. Spock, whose trumpeting reprimand served as a bucket of ice water to the warmth of her memories. With goosebumps covering much of her skin, Rand had almost forgotten that she was under the brow beating rays of a mid-morning desert sun.

“It is absolutely imperative that you are fully alert and reliable during this search! I cannot be the only one here who is doing the work!” Spock’s voice was sharp, condescending.

Rand flinched at the harshness of the first officer’s tone. It seemed so unnecessary and over-the-top, especially considering the length of time spent and the lack of progress made on this search. Damn it, she was working! We’ve found nothing, Oh Mighty Mr. Spock! Get over yourself!

“I’m on the task at hand, sir,” said Rand with a defensive weariness, fully aware of the fact that the word ‘sorry’ didn’t enter into her response. 

“The fuck’s your problem?” she thought while visions of her laser gun searing off the tips of Spock’s ears entertained her.

Well, a yeoman could dream, right?

Rand heard the communicator on Spock’s belt go off, and she was relieved. At least, for this short little window of time, his attention wouldn’t be on her. Spock reached for his communicator and flipped it open.

“Spock here.”

“Sc-Scott h-here. Mmuu-me and R-Riley h-haven’t p-picked up on aneee-any life at all, s-sir. B-But Riley stummmbled upon a p-packet of re-recording wafers offff logs labeled b-by a Duh-Doctor Adruh-Adrienne Ellisssss. Maaee b-bee they’d g-give usss a-cluh-clue to w-what h-happened to the-them, ssir.”

While Spock listened he glanced over at Rand, who promptly turned away. She didn’t like him looking at her with those piercing eyes of his. 

Or were they dead eyes? 

“This is a positive turn for us, Mr. Scott, considering that no life has been picked up by any of us thus far. I will contact Dr. Begay. We will be heading in now. You can give Yeoman Rand the tapes for her inspection. Spock out.”

“Wow. I can’t understand Scotty’s stuttering. It seems to be getting worse,” Rand thought.

She wondered if she was the only one who noticed, but then again, she did turn away from Spock, so she was not able to see how he reacted to Scotty’s new speech impediment. 

“We are returning to the camp. Mr. Riley will present you with these tapes he has found. You are to report on anything you believe may help us on this mission.”

“Yes, sir,” said Rand with her back to Spock.

Thank God, it’s over! 

As Rand started to collect her gear, she swooned suddenly. It was as if she was spinning around without actually moving from where she stood.

“Yeoman Rand,” yelled Spock, running to her side and hoisting her up by her elbow.

“Are you all right?!”

Rand took a deep breath and gave herself time to steady her feet. She pressed her free hand onto her temple.

“Whoa!”

“Yeoman?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, clearly shaken.

Rand looked up at the wide-expanse of sky where the white-hot sun loomed above the desert. While it was true that the sun’s temperatures were fierce at around this time, the visor and gargles she was wearing should have been protection enough from the rays’ heat. She didn’t understand what was going on. Was she sick? 

“Maybe the sun is getting to me. We’ve been out here for awhile,” she thought.

Maybe.

“I don’t understand. Your headgear should be able to provide adequate protection from the heat. This is most unusual. Perhaps you should see Dr. Begay when we return to the camp…”

“No, Mr. Spock. I’m fine,” Rand assured him with more firmness in her voice.

“Are you quite sure, Yeoman?”

OH, MY GOD! Is this guy deaf, or what?! 

She could feel Spock’s grip on her elbow get tighter. Was he even aware that he was beginning to hurt her?

Rand twisted her elbow away from his hold. She wanted desperately to get away from him.

“Yes! I’m fine!” She was surprised by how abrupt and loud her own voice had become.

There was a thick silence that permeated the air while she hurriedly gathered her gear. She could feel Spock’s eyes on her while he stood over her.

“Very well,” he said with a quiet edge. “We shall return to the camp and have a conference on our findings.”

Rand could hear Spock’s footsteps recede as she picked up her backpack and flung it over her shoulder. When her arms were safely secured in the straps, she started heading back, walking as fast as she was able, leaving Spock behind. The sooner she was surrounded by the rest of the landing party, the better she’d feel.

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter IV  
Part 3

It was a funny thing, this situation that Rand found herself in. She had thought, while she was making a good distance between herself and Mr. Spock, that she would feel more at ease once she was back at the site with the rest of the landing party, as they gathered together at their designated meeting place to discuss their progress. It was a funny thing, because Rand felt just as ill at ease, surrounded by the rest of the landing party, as she did when she was alone with Spock. It was a funny thing, because everyone here inside the dark walls of this meeting place seemed inflicted by the same unease.

Riley, Rose, everyone’s body spoke in the same language. Eyes shifted from one person to the next, arms were crossed against chests guardedly, mouths would start to open as if wanting to speak, but then shut just as quickly. 

Nurse Rose absently brushed against Riley, and Riley turned to her abruptly, his cheekbones clenched upward, his jaw set, his eyes protruding. His feral expression was in sharp contrast to Rose’s, whose responded with wide, fearful eyes. 

Just was the hell was going on here?

“Mr. Scott.” 

Rand jumped at the sound of Mr. Spock’s voice, with its deep resonance piercing through the silent disquiet of the room. Spock turned to her and simply cocked his brow.

“Is there a problem, Yeoman?”

The others followed suite, turning to her, waiting for her to answer the first officer, their faces betraying various phases of anxiety, confusion, angst. 

Rand was embarrassed, as she slowly removed her hand from her chest and passed a look to each of the landing party members, before she settled it on Mr. Spock.

“Sorry. Everyone else was so quiet and you suddenly spoke. I guess you scared me, sir.”

“To be frightened is illogical, Yeoman. You are not alone, and we always look after one another as a unit should.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” Jerk.

Spock turned to Scotty, who was holding a wide flat black wallet in his hand, which was fastened by a snap button of the same color, attached to the end of a triangular flap.

“ I trust, Mr. Scott, that these are the recorded logs which you speak of.”

“Yu-yes, mu-mu-misster sp-Spock,” said Scotty, clearly struggling through his stutter.  
“These wu-werrr…”

“These were the only things of significance that were found,” said Riley, cutting off Scotty impatiently. “There was no physical evidence of any kind found outside of these tapes, sir.”

Scotty turned to Riley and gave him a look before he turned back to Rand and handed her the wallet. Rand took the wallet and read the name on it, which was printed in black letters against a white strip: Dr. Adrienne Ruth Ellis. Rand knew from the briefings given by Mr. Spock that Dr. Ellis was the lead archeologist of the Tijus Expedition, and that she, along with the rest of her team, had seemingly vanished without a trace in this barren world.

Rand unsnapped the button at the end of the flap and flipped it open, pulling out 15 orange wafers. Five of the wafer disks were labeled and dated with the same black lettering and white strip background, but the rest of them were left blank. Were these recordings the key to finding out what happened to Dr. Ellis’ expedition? Rand wondered.

“If you pick up on anything that you think might help us on this search, you are to report it to me immediately.”

“Of course, sir.” No shit.

Spock sighed. “Well, the search will not be fruitless if those wafers contain anything that can shed light on what happened to the archeologists.”

“Sir, can you please tell us exactly how long this search is suppose to continue?” There was a tinge of irritation to Riley’s question, as he stood there with his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowed at the first officer. 

Rand looked up from the wafers in her hands and stared at Riley. Everyone else turned to Riley as well, still and nervous. 

“What’s Riley’s problem?” thought Rand.

The rest of the landing party seemed to shift their attention from Riley to Spock, like spectators at a tennis match. There was a fragility in the air, like one wrong word or move would shatter any stability there was in this grey, oppressive room. 

Spock gave Riley a pointed look and crossed his arms over his chest.

“A rather foolish question, Mr. Riley, since Starfleet clearly specifies that a search such as the one we are conducting can last anywhere from two to seven days. After the sixth day, if the search indeed turns up empty, then we spend the seventh day collecting our equipment and readying ourselves for departure. Period.”  
Period.

Does this mean Spock is getting pissed?

Rand turned to Riley in haste and shrugged. 

“We’ve only been here a day,” she said amicably, in an attempt to ease the mounting tension between the two men.

“Well, it’s been a day too long—and I’m ready to cut this mission,” sneered Riley.

“Take it easy, Riley. We’ve only searched the outer quadrants of this site. We have a lot more space to cover,” chimed in Dr. Begay, his eyes watchful, ping-ponging from the first officer to the lieutenant. 

His eyes never wavering from Mr. Spock and his stance unchanged, Riley said: “Well, you try working with Stuttering Scotty in a hot arid desert and see if you don’t go ape shit!”

“N-n-nuuow h-hu-hold onnn a mmmu-minute…”

Rand went over to Scotty and stood in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders while he tried to confront Riley.

“Do you have a fucking problem, or what?!” Rand hurled the question to Riley through gritted teeth. Oh, did she want to hurt him for saying that to such a sweet man like Scotty!

Really hurt him, like in serious bodily harm.

Little twirp.

Riley stood there in defiance while Nurse Rose looked on like a frightened child, wide-eyed and shaky, ringing her hands, bobbing up and down like her bladder was about to explode.

Spock stood there as he was; his stance, like Riley’s, never changing. 

There was an eerie calm about Spock as he stood there quietly and turned his head to each of the members of the landing party, assessing them the way a product inspector does with a row of cheaply made merchandise, watching for defects. When he was done, Spock took a deep breath and shook his head, the lightly etched smirk, coupled with his narrowed eyes, conveying mild disgust. 

“I somehow should not be surprised when one considers the fact that I am forced to work with a genetically inferior race of humanoids, who are unable to find signs of life after only a few hours of a structured search.”

The rest of the landing party pivoted in Spock’s direction, the silence in the meeting room thick and looming. Looks ranging from confusion to outrage were exchanged between the rest the astronauts, while whispers grew from this silence, ricocheting from one person to the next.

During all of this, hushed chaos, a ray of sunlight seeped softly into the meeting room, profiling all of the mismatched furniture, the shelves and the people, draping the corners of the items and the crewmembers like trimming.

This light seemed to have a calming affect on Rand, and everyone else in the room, because she could feel Scotty’s body slacken under her grip. 

Rand eventually loosened her own grip and allowed her arms to drop to her sides.

The muffled anger from her fellow landing party members died down, and right at the head of this circle stood Spock, who unhooked his arms from their crossed position and let them drop down to his hips and placing his hands there. He bowed his head and took a long deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling. When he finally faced the crew, the smirk was gone, and the former steeliness that was in his eyes was replaced by a faint look of regret.

Or was it embarrassment?

“Please forgive my harsh words. They were uncalled for and have no basis in fact.”

Everyone passed glances at each other before looking at Spock again.

“It’s okay with me, Mr. Spock,” said Dr. Begay, nodding his head.

Everyone else followed the doctor’s example and uttered the same acceptance, though in slightly different ways. Everything, for now, seemed fine, though with an unsteady truce.

‘You have the rest of the day to do your other duties, as the search is concluded for today. Ms. Rand, it is of the utmost importance that you take the time to listen to the logs of Dr. Ellis, in order that you may be able to find any clues that can shed light on her team’s disappearance.” 

“Yes, sir.” This guy loves repeating himself.

Mr. Spock continued: “We have worked through mid-morning break, so there are refreshments to partake in the kitchen. Who has evening meal preparation?”

“Scotty and I, sir,” said Dr. Begay.

Spock nodded his head. “Very well, then. I will be preparing my report in my quarters.”  
And with that, Spock drew his lips in tightly, lowered his eye, turned, and walked out of the room without saying another word.  
Rand noticed, while Spock was walking away from the others, how his fingers fidgeted. He would follow a peculiar pattern of first wriggling his fingers, and then spreading them far apart, as if willfully trying to pull them out of their joints.

“Guess everyone’s s bit on edge,” Rand thought.

When Spock was gone, Rand turned back to the other crew members, who clearly felt secure enough to start talking among themselves again, as their conversation rippled in their closed circle.

“What in the hell was his deal?” sniped Riley, throwing a pointed thumb over his shoulder to where Spock had left.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but that sure was unsettling to say the least,” said Dr. Begay, wiping the back of his moist neck with his palm.

“His deal?! Seriously, Riley?! You’re the one who copped an attitude out of the blue about a search that literally just started!” exclaimed Nurse Rose nervously, though finding her gumption. “Mr. Spock never would have said those things if you didn’t act like a goddamn punk!”

“Exactly who are you calling a punk?!”

“Take a wild guess, genius!” 

“All right! The both of you, knock it off,” said Dr. Begay.

“Yee-yah-yeah! Buu-buu-bee quiet!”

Rand, becoming agitated again, threw her hands up in surrender. “Jesus, can we all just calm down here, please?” She brought her hands down and laced them behind her neck. “At this point, honestly, I’d just assume be back on the Enterprise.”

“Yuh-yoou and mee b-buh-both,” said Scotty, crossing his arms with a look of exasperation on his face.

Riley gave Sotty a long, steady look, as if sizing him up.

“Wasn’t there a famous cartoon character back in the 20th Century that sounded like you, Scotty Boy?” 

Scotty exploded and tried to lunge at Riley, but was intercepted by both Rand and Begay. Nurse Rose was useless; she just jumped up and down, screaming and flapping her hands like a special needs child.

“You asshole!!” Rand spat at Riley.  
“But, I’m only trying to have fun,” said Riley blithely, his stance cocky.

“Riley, I think you need to leave! You’re not wanted here right now,” said Dr. Begay. “You’ve caused enough problems for one day—and I don’t think you’re attitude’s very cute! No one here does!”

Riley’s head jerked back like he’d been slapped, his body held rigid. He was visibly startled as he passed a glance at everyone in the room, shook his head, and stormed out of the meeting room, his shoulders hunched, his neck lowered and his head leading, like a bloodhound.

“What the hell was that screaming, Hyacinth?!” Rand shot at Rose.

“What was I supposed to do, put myself in harms way?” Rose was petulant.

“Talk about Starfleet nursing material! Real prime!” yelled Rand. 

Rand pictured her fist making square contact with Rose’s mouth and soundly breaking a number of teeth.

“Let’s see her jump up and down to that, only her gums would be flapping instead of her hands,” she thought with a sneer.

“ENOUGH!” 

Dr. Begay placed himself between the two women, his resolve clearly gone. “God, stop it! Stop it!”

Rand and Rose looked at each other awkwardly, but didn’t say anything. Finally, they both turned their backs to each other. Rand took a deep breath and looked down at her feet, shuffling them, feeling slightly antsy. When she looked up again, she saw Scotty standing in front of her, smiling sympathetically as he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder and gently shook it.

“Thuu-thuu- thaankss,” he said.

Rand returned his smile and gestured to Dr. Begay, who was still standing between her and Rose.

“Thank him, Scotty. He’s the one who made the trouble go away,” she said softly.

‘Tis Charity to Show  
Chapter IV  
Part 4

Things have settled down to a sense of normalcy. Mr. Scott and Dr. Begay had set up a table for themselves and sat down for a relaxing game of Backgammon. Nurse Rose was sitting down in a threadbare, cushioned chair, absorbed in a novel she was reading from her padd. Rand sat on an equally threadbare couch in a corner of the room, apart from the others, unable, as she tried, to get back to a normalcy of her own.

Rand was constantly crossing and uncrossing her legs, tossing her long, ponytailed hair, and biting her lower lip. Squirming her butt into the cushion underneath her, she would pass a discrete glance over at the others. A part of her wondered if they were watching her, if they were aware of her behavior, and another part of her, quite frankly, didn’t give a shit. Rand smiled to herself as she grabbed her ponytail, wrapped it over her eyes, and held it against the intense light, watching the pins of amber course gently through the flaxen of her hair, when she heard footsteps closing in on her and felt the empty cushion next to her sink in.

“Let me take a wild guess,” she thought. 

“Hey.” It was Rose. 

“Hey,” said Rand, releasing her ponytail and letting it drop to her side.

“Well, how about it, Jan? Wasn’t that, like, really weird and scary with Mr. Spock? I always thought he was standoffish, but I never thought that he felt that way about humans, huh? I mean, what do you think? You think he really meant it?” asked Rose in a hushed urgency.

Rand turned nonchalantly to Rose, and noticed how the amber light complimented the plains of her otherwise non-descript face, even hollowing out her round jowls. 

“ Too bad Rose can’t buy a portable amber-hued lamp to hook around her neck,” she thought.

Looking away from Rose, Rand reached with her fingers and looped them around the band which fastened her ponytail and pulled at it until her blond hair was free, falling around her face and back. She shook her head and ran her fingers through the strands, reveling in its heaviness and contours of waves as they caressed her shoulders, her waist.

“That’s Spock for you,” said Rand with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “Always standoffish. Always weird. Always so damn superior.” Rand spoke breathlessly, beguilingly, each sentence ending with a drag of the final letter in each word. Tracing her fingers over her lips, she continued to cross and uncross her legs.

“Did someone mention Spock’s name?”

Rand and Rose looked up to see Dr. Begay and Mr. Scott heading towards them, abandoning their game as they dragged their chairs along and arranged them around the couch where the women were conversing.

“That was really something earlier! I’m frankly happy that both Spock and Riley are out of the room,” said Dr. Begay sitting down and leaning forward in his chair. “ I never thought I’d see the day when a superior officer would vent out his racism to his underlings. I thought that kind of crap went out in the late 21st Century.” 

“In the case of Vulcan, ‘that crap’ was supposed to be done with much, much earlier,” said Rose.

“Well, it seems to me that out neighborhood Vulcan is getting in touch with his ancestral heritage right now,” Begay quipped.

“That Riley was sure feeling his oats, wasn’t he?” said Rand, crossing her legs high up her thighs and pressing them together discretely.

“Oh my God, was he ever!” exclaimed Rose. “What was stinging around in his bonnet?”

Rand jutted her breasts and smiled to herself at Rose’s ‘original’ expressions. What a loser.

“I don’t know, but Riley clearly lost it for sure,” Begay snorted, shaking his head.

There was a brisk laugh that came from Scotty, who was sitting in the chair next to Begay.

“F-fu-for suure! A l-l-lu-lune!”

A ripple of laughter came from the group, with Scotty laughing the loudest of all of them, leaning back in his chair with fits of howls.

“You said a mouthful, Scotty,” Rose giggled.

When the laughter subsided, Rose placed her hands on her stomach. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I really need to get into that kitchen and help myself to some of those snacks! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

Rand squirmed in her seat, squeezing her breasts with her upper arms while she placed her hands daintily over her knee, her manner exaggeratedly flirtatious.

“A horse. What an interesting choice for an animal,” cooed Rand. She removed one of her hands from her knee and wove it through her hair. “Because I’m so freakin’ horny I could fuck one, and his name would be Khobran! God knows he’s hung like one! And you can take that to the bank!” Rand hurled that last line for Rose’s undying love of clichés, her delivery being unabashedly brazen, sauntering, torrid.  
Mr. Scott, Nurse Rose, and Dr. Begay stopped laughing and simply looked at each other, speechless, their eyes blinking stupidly, as if adjusting to a sudden change in light, their mouths bouncing from dumbfounded slackness to hideously idiotic grins. 

There was an awkward chuckle from Scotty, his head cocking back and forth, with an expression on his face that suggested trapped flatulence. His eyes shifted helplessly from Begay to Rose, who both had their own embarrassment to deal with. Not that Rand cared very much, her hand alternating between rubbing and squeezing along the top of her thigh. Then, Rand abruptly stopped what she was doing and clucked her tongue. 

“Oh,” she said pouting her lips on the ‘o’ and holding it on the vowel in a long, languid drawl. “I have to go and listen to those boring logs of doctor whoever she is. Probably hours and hours of absolutely nothing.”

Rand slung herself against the couch and stretched out her body in a way that looked like she was displaying it for desirous eyes, jutting out her breasts and uncurling her long, toned legs, her arms outstretched over her head. When she finished she flopped her arms down and hoisted herself up and off the couch with deliberate tantalizing slowness. 

“Almost forgot the very thing I’ll need.” 

Rand reached down for the leather folder containing the logs and picked it up off the couch. Turning to leave, she positioned her body in a quarter profile and tossed her hair for good measure.

“Those little wafers are probably packing weeks worth of stuff. I better get busy,” she pulled out the word ‘busy’, as if implying something else.

“You know, I think that’s a sound decision, Janice. Why don’t you do that? You can use a distraction right about now, clearly,” said Dr. Begay both incredulously and sarcastically. Rose and Scotty snickered at the doctor’s implied insult, and Dr. Begay couldn’t help but acknowledge the mirth at Rand’s expense.

Rand rolled her eyes and in an indignant huff, waved the others off in blithe dismissal and headed out of the meeting room.

“Oh, whatever,” she drawled, her words echoing behind her out the door.


End file.
